Of milestones and ministers

The
Yass Anglican parish recently welcomed a new minister at time when it is
looking back over 175 years of history.

Reverend
Ken Rampling is taking the reigns after St Clement’s previous minister, Genieve
Blackwell, departed to become the first woman consecrated as a bishop in NSW.
The Right Reverend Blackwell is now based in Wagga Wagga.

Judy
Heggart, also the police chaplain for the district, filled the role until the
new minister’s appointment.

The
new minister has had a busy few months but now wants to take his time settling
into the region.

Ken Rampling
and his wife Lynette recently welcomed their third grandchild into the world,
just days after their youngest child was married.

All
this while the couple was settling into their new home at the rectory in Yass
town, over Christmas and the New Year.

He
said they didn’t want to be in a rush but instead wanted to get to know the
people and the place.

“I
think they’ll get to know us over time. We really want to be part of the
community. Our move here is open ended.

“God
willing, and parish permitting, we’ll be here for a long time.”

He
said there were big events happening in the parish and he was delighted to be
able to be part of it.

“The
parish this year has its 175th anniversary,” he said enthusiastically.

He
said he’d be engaging with the local community about how to celebrate the
milestone.

He’d
also like to see if the church and its congregation could help meet the needs
of the community.

“I
don’t wish to be in competition with anyone else,” he said. “There’s no need
for the Anglicans to come along and do their brand [of the same type of
charity].”

But if
there was a gap that needed to be filled in town, he would like to get
involved.

The
minister, who came to Yass from Canberra, said one of the battles of the church
was the disengagement of young people.

“I
think young people are turning away from organised church and religion. But
they’re not turning away from the idea of belief, or having a set of beliefs
and values that define who they are and what they’re about.”

He
said he’d like to bring that idea of belief back to the fore.

“I
don’t think there’s a program we can roll out,” he said.

Although,
he wanted to change the idea that church is just an hour on Sunday to a set of
beliefs to live life by.

“What
you believe in should drive your life,” he said.

Regardless
of the difficulty in attracting young people, the parish is still thriving.

“The
reality is, the church is growing.”

The
minister said congregations in Murrumbateman, Bowning and Mundoonen were al
growing, and he’d like to expand that to areas like Wee Jasper, Good Hope and
Bookham, among others.